John Winning Jr., Seve Jarvin and Sam Newton won the start and were never headed over the entire North-East course before going on to record a comfortable 1m 36s victory over the Smeg team.

Wind gusts to 30 knots and rising seas led to one yacht being dismasted and another having a spinnaker blown to shreds.

Fifty-six boats competed in the regatta this year which is up on previous years, and several new boats made an appearance along with the usual culprits.

Spectators on the shore were treated to the sight of the entire fleet rounding a course marker just beyond the surfline due east of the Q1 building.

With borders closing rapidly, the organising committee made the difficult decision to cancel this year's edition of the regatta in the interest of public safety.

Paul Buchholz’s Cookson 50 Extasea took line honours, ahead of Gerry Cantwell’s Marten 49 Carrera S

The two new venues form part of an expanded season that is planned to feature nine events, with seven having now been announced.

While the race for the victory was exciting, the battle through the fleet was just as interesting with positions constantly changing over the entire course.

Lucy Copeland and Jake Liddell took out Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, leaving a hole in their hull.

Day One was called off after a southerly buster hit Sydney Harbour shortly before racing was scheduled to commence.

In contrast to the 40-knot winds that battered Sydney Harbour last Sunday, today's 20-knot westerly wind produced one of the most spectacular 18ft Skiff races seen on the harbour for many years.

In the Grand Prix Division, 2019 Worlds second- and third-place winners - Patricio Bertelli’s Kookaburra II (KA-12) and Gunther Buerman’s New Zealand (KZ-3) - will again face off for the top podium position.

Only three teams managed to reach the vicinity of the start line in Rose Bay but the wind was so fierce that even the three experienced teams were unable to cope with the worsening conditions.

Hot winds really kicked up in the closing stages of the Sydney Harbour passage race, testing reaction times and causing sail damage and a few knockdowns.

The youngest helm in class history, 13-year-old Indy Beck, steered his dad Christian’s MC38 InfoTrack on day two with plenty of talent supporting him in the big role.

Though San Francisco and New York were initially set to host the first events following SailGP’s Season 2 postponement due to COVID-19, the league shifted the schedule to ensure greater certainty and reduce travel in the early part of the year.